Penn State QB race too close to call

STATE COLLEGE - The first round of Penn State's much-anticipated quarterback battle didn't exactly have coach Bill O'Brien clamoring to name a starter.

For him, that might be a good thing.

Sophomores Steven Bench and Tyler Ferguson played to a virtual draw Saturday afternoon during the Nittany Lions' annual Blue-White Game, which under O'Brien's modified scoring system, the defense won 67-47.

But the two men with the early lead in the race to replace record-breaking Matt McGloin under center had O'Brien at least contented with their play after the game.

"I think they both produced," O'Brien said. "I thought they both had some nice throws. Just like everybody, coaches and players included, in every game you play, you wish you had some plays back. And I'm sure they do too.

"But I thought they both did some decent things out there."

The stat sheet backs up O'Brien's stance. In fact, each posted almost identical solid numbers.

Each completed 9 of 15 passes. Bench threw for more yards, 99-90. Ferguson threw two touchdown passes to Bench's one though, including a well-placed, hard-thrown toss to freshman Richy Anderson as he rolled right in the fourth quarter.

The only two interceptions in the game were thrown by the freshman walk-ons who gave them a breather, Austin Whipple and D.J. Crook.

Neither Bench or Ferguson were made available to the media after the game, a decision said to be made by the coaching staff. Quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher wasn't made available, either.

As the nip-and-tuck nature of the statistics didn't prompt O'Brien to declare the race over after the game one way or the other, not that he was expected to anyway.

"What I'll do now is, I'm going to go back just by myself and watch all the film from the spring over the next week," he said. "I think both guys did some really good things. No, as I sit here right now, I'm just not any closer (to a decision). Obviously, we'll have to make a decision. I'm just not ready to right now."

Bench got the start, and he immediately made his presence felt. He led the first-team offense down the field on the first drive, which was capped by freshman Akeel Lynch's 1-yard touchdown run.

Ferguson struggled early, but by the half, he had gained the momentum. He kept a drive alive by scrambling out of trouble and finding tight end Jesse James for a 23-yard gain over the middle. He and James also connected on a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Bench's first touchdown came in the second half, when he completed four of his six passes. The biggest one came when he threw a hard strike to an open Brent Wilkerson in the back of the end zone.

As the summer progresses, Bench and Ferguson will only get more competition. Prized recruit Christian Hackenberg, who watched Saturday's game from the sideline, won't arrive on campus until this summer, and he won't get on the field until preseason practice in August.

But it has been speculated that he will at least push for the starting job, and may be the odds-on favorite, once the competition picks up again then.

Days like Saturday can only help Bench and Ferguson make their respective points. But he reiterated after Saturday's scrimmage that he prefers to play just one once the regular season starts Aug. 31 against Syracuse at MetLife Stadium.

"We'll integrate him right in there," O'Brien said of Hackenberg. "It's very difficult getting three quarterbacks reps during training camp. So we'll have to evaluate over the next couple of months here how we're going to do that, if we're going to do that."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.